It's the fastest, most agile and most powerful M5 in history, yet thanks to all-wheel drive and some very intelligent use of lightweight materials, it's also the safest and most fuel-efficient.

The fact that it's the first M5 to come with four-wheel drive as standard may be hard for purists to swallow. But to sweeten the pill, BMW's newest M Car is the first to break the German carmaker's gentleman's agreement.

Twenty years ago, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz agreed that they would electronically restrict the top speed of everything they build (excluding supercars) to 250 km/h or 150 mph.

However, this M5 comes with a top speed of 190 mph. And because this is a BMW, the dictionary definition of reliability in automotive form, it will be able to maintain that velocity without rattling, shaking and coming apart.

Capping top speed is a clever way to improve fuel economy and cut CO2 emissions. And despite regulations being at their strictest in living memory, this fastest-ever BMW sedan is capable of returning 10.5l/100km on the combined cycle (that's 26.9mpg) and 241g/km of CO2 emissions. And that's with a 600hp 4.4-litre twin turbo V8 with a whopping 750Nm of torque calling the shots via the eight-speed gearbox.

With all that power on tap plus the fact that it can hit 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds and the fact that it is still a big, luxury sedan, all of a sudden, active all-wheel-drive starts to sound like a very good idea -- especially if you're using it primarily as the family car.

Still, BMW is adamant that keen drivers will not feel robbed in any way when hitting the track or the Autobahn. The M5 has an active locking rear differential and offers five driving modes that can set the car up as a tail-happy rear-wheel drive racer. Or it can be tuned right down to full four-wheel drive with suspension and shock absorbers set up for supreme comfort and all-weather grip.

To achieve all this, BMW has had to make the car lighter yet stiffer to optimise handling and improve fuel consumption. For instance, the roof is made from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic, and the sweeping castellated hood is aluminium. As for the brakes, the optional M carbon ceramic setup ensures that the car stops on a dime, never overheats,and also shaves another 23 kg off the car's overall kerb weight.

The new car will make its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 16, 2017. Meanwhile, any M-Car obsessed gamer can take it for a virtual spin around the track starting November 10, as the new M5 is one of the star cars in EA Games' "Need for Speed Payback".